The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
After an unsuccessful attempt to include an exception for rape and incest, a measure to ban abortion coverage from health insurance plans cleared the Texas Senate on Wednesday. Full Story
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Legislation passed by the House on Wednesday will prohibit payday lenders and auto title loan businesses from placing telemarketing calls to Texans on the "do not call" list. The measure now heads to the Senate. Full Story
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Lawmakers have soundly rejected a bill to cap the state sales tax on certain boat purchases worth more than $250,000. State Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, said his measure was about helping the struggling recreational marine industry. Full Story
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Despite warning that powdered alcohol could lead to a spike in underage drinking that would “make the darkest days of the Four Loko era look tame,” a lawmaker on Wednesday pulled back his measure to outlaw the product in Texas. Full Story
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The unfolding story about surreptitious taping of officeholders at the Texas Capitol is going to end predictably: You'll know who did the filming — but not who paid for it. Full Story
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If state budget writers can't get a deal on the budget during the regular session, they'll have to come back to finish. And with the state economy slowing down, going into overtime could mean less money for tax breaks and state programs. Full Story
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A state lawmaker is pushing to make all financial disclosure statements filed with the Texas Ethics Commission available online so the public can easily find them. In that spirit, the Tribune presents the disclosures filed by scores of state agency heads, regents and others that you can't get online now. Full Story
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The criminal records of one-time offenders who stay out of trouble would be sealed and hidden from the public under a bill that cleared the Senate Tuesday. Supporters call it a second chance, but critics fear unknowing employers will pay the price. Full Story
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The Texas Senate on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a measure that would prohibit health insurers from covering abortion. Full Story
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The sharper the speech — the harder it pokes at something dear to someone else — the greater the chance of a strong reaction. Full Story
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Dallas and Houston leaders may want a super-fast train connecting their cities, but folks in between aren't as sold on the idea. Some have formed Texans Against High-Speed Rail, and they're hiring lobbyists and courting allies in a bid to kill the plan. Full Story
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At our 5/4 symposium on health care, state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, the chairman of the House Public Health Committee, and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, the chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, talked about how the issue is playing out in the 84th session. Full Story
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For some gay rights advocates, a bill in the Texas Legislature that would allow clergy to refuse to marry same-sex couples would be acceptable if it just included four more words. Full Story
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May is the final full month of the 140-day regular legislative session, which concludes June 1. And the deadlines that start in a week form a bottleneck that will ultimately block most proposed legislation. Full Story
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Texas' top elected officials on Monday offered an absolute defense of free speech in the wake of a Garland shooting that left two gunmen dead outside a contest featuring cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Full Story
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A bill to let Texans register to vote online is dead, its sponsor said Saturday, five days after a small but vocal group of Harris County officials voiced their opposition to it during a committee hearing. Full Story
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State Rep. Jonathan Stickland's ejection from a House Transportation Committee hearing aside, activists devoted to purging Texas of red light cameras say they aren't thrilled with the bills under consideration this session. Full Story
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Voters in Tarrant County's House District 92 have sent two very different types of politicians to Austin recently — and both the new guy and the old one made news this week. Full Story
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At our 5/1 conversation, Julián Castro, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, explained why he doesn't like Gov. Greg Abbott's plan for pre-K. Full Story
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The chairman of the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics said he plans to investigate allegations that witnesses were signed up improperly to speak at a meeting from which state Rep. Jonathan Stickland was escorted out. Full Story
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